Iter Facere

Sunday July 8 - Zaragoza to Ainso

Getting out of Zaragoza was easier than getting in. A small hang up at the parking lot, they wouldn’t accept a credit card for amounts over 45 euros, but the kind attendant worked the machine for us and off we went. There isn’t much in the Ebro River valley between Zaragoza and Huesca, just flat, dusty, dry farmland.Once we reached Huesca the mountains were close enough to break up the scenery and we drove along the front off the mountains towards the northwest. Our first stop was Castillo Loarre, begun in the 11th century by King Sancho III of Navarre. There were alot of kings around this area in the 10th and 11th century. Kings of Navarre, Aragon, Urugell, etc. A monastery was added later. Anyway, its neat, 3000’ above sea level overlooking the valley with a terrific view. It looks impregnable, although it doesn’t sound like it ever found out. The romanesque church in it is lovely. We explored it for a while and looked for lunch, We stopped in the town of Loarre, which I had planned on staying in. The entire population stared at us as we went from one establishment to another trying to find a light lunch. If we could have spoken Spanish better we could have asked someone and gotten more help than we could have used. Oh well, we amused them for awhile and then headed off to Ayerbe where we did find lunch and a nice bar owner who explained to me how to order Bitter Kas. I saw someone drinking it, asked for it and its name, the owner went out of his way to explain the it had no alcohol, that bitter was the name and Kas the brand. Its good, like Campari. I had grilled sardines which were just right. I should have skipped to patatas bravas, too big. Kathy and Sean had immense bacan and queso bocadillos. Originally the town struck us as bleak but the nice lunch left us well disposed to Ayerbe.
Off to Auguero, which has a great location and a nice romanesque church. Along the way we started to see giant cliffs. A sign pointed to Los Mallos de Riglos. These are sheer cliffs, several hundred feet tall looming over the valley, painted in rust and white. We drove up to the base of the in the town of Riglos. Unfortunately, we were stuck with the problem of what to do with a cliff once your at the bottom of it, in blinding light, 100 degrees Farenheit and no climbing skill. So we looked, took pictures and left. Back to Auguero. Again, same problem. Spectacular location. But the roads into the village had the intensely narrow aspect that I sometimes don’t feel like dealing with. That meant we needed to walk to the church. Light and hear overcame our desire to appreciate the Romanesque. On to San Juan de la Pena, a monastery high in the mountains built in a cave. We decided to take the pretty way there. Oh my, what a narrow road in the mountains. I didn’t feel safe driving more that about 45 km/hr, so that made it a longer trip than we had supposed. Once we got there though it was worth it. San Juan de la Pena is in the middle of a protected natural area, stuck inside a cave halfway down a cliff. It is spectacular. The new monastery was built in the 18th century, the old began in the 10th. The legend is that a nobleman on a hunt chased a deer, and fell off of the cliff. On the way down he prayed to St. James and miraculously landed unhurt. He found a hermit living in the cave (along with his dead co-hermit) and decided to establish a monastery there. It became the burial place of the Kings of Aragon. Its tucked up inside of a cave, so the roof of the main church is the cave roof, the cloister (with expressive carvings of Adam and Eve) is inside the cave, all quite cool. A highly recommended place to go.
On to Anso. The mountains are steep in Aragon. We drove down from San Juan de la Pena to the road leading from Jaca to the west, the Aragon river valley. On the one side are the Pyrenees, the other the mountains we descended from. We skipped the church at Santa Cruz de la Seros because of time, but will see it soon. Around 6:00 we started up the Anso Valley towards our hotel. Oh my. What had been a narrow road earlier today looked like an interstate. No guardrails, one lane (maybe) wide, sheer drop into the river a hundred feet below, oncoming traffic. The scenery is beautiful, but we can’t really describe it well. I can’t believe people drive this road regularly, it is too bad. Finally, after an hour to drive 25 kilometers we arrived at Anso. Its great. A stone village with highly polished pine shutters and accents, surrounded by mountains, with three main streets and a couple a nice plazas. The Hostal Kimboa has three stories, the polished shutters and a delightful staff. Very simple and plain inside (spotless though). A perfect spot. The restaurant is an asador, so everything is grilled or roasted. We had lamb chops and sausage. Classic Spanish food, simple meats grilled with salt and garlic. Along with a good soup and a delicious chickpea, garlic and chard dish. After dinner we walk down to the nearby bar for an ourujo hierba, and then to sleep.

posted by Jim @ 11:52 AM